Big men in demand, but no one stands tall

From George Mikan to Shaquille O'Neal, centers have long dominated the NBA. But with so many big, athletic players today, it's harder for centers to impact a game as they once did.

There is no dominant big man in this year's draft, but that's nothing new. Since 1997, the year the San Antonio Spurs selected Tim Duncan first overall, only Dwight Howard (2004) has evolved into a true game-changing force at center. Yao Ming's injuries the past two years have slowed his progress, and Greg Oden's foot injury cost him his entire rookie season (2007-08) and prevented the Portland Trail Blazers from assessing the No.1 overall pick's value.

That doesn't make centers any less desirable in this year's draft, however. Nearly half the teams in the league could use an upgrade at the position. ...